Moving right along

Well, I've gotten one thing on my list started. The easiest part, really. The dresser that I plan to makeover has some major condition issues regarding the drawer bottoms, namely that the pins that the drawers slide on have worn their way completely through the bottoms of my drawers. This has lead to quite a few wood shaving-covered sweaters in the lower drawers as the rubbing wood filters down.

The first step in replacing these is simple - give one to dad so he can see what's on the market in the right thickness to replace them. Hey, he's the guy with all the tools, so if he's looking for a project why not let him do some of the dirty work? I'll still have all the sanding, priming, painting and hardware installation. I can't wait to get it started!

Updates 'n stuff

It's pretty hard to call myself a blogger when I haven't written in a month.

My current projects include:

• Replacing the drawer bottoms on an old chest of drawers



• Sanding and painting the chest of drawers



• Finding new master bedroom furniture



• Painting my bathroom, including the ceiling



• Priming and painting the cabinets in my bathroom



• Installing shelving in the 12" nook in my bathroom



• Getting around to dropping off a couple of prints of my grandma's to be re-matted



• Taking some time to create some art myself

When I actually put the whole list out there, it looks like a lot of work. It also makes me feel like I have to be accountable. And take pictures.

Stalking ebay

There are items I hunt for on ebay constantly; mostly a list of things I passed by in a store without buying only to regret not purchasing, and a few things I definitely could not buy new. These things include a navy D&B "Emma" handbag (which I once passed up at an amazing price, *facepalm*), Tory Burch flats, a J.Crew black argyle sweater dress, and a particular BCBG strapless dress.

I've been trying to hunt down this striped Merona trench, from Target, for at least two years now. It's been an obsession. Obsession, as in, I go to ebay every morning and type in "stripe trench", "striped trench", and "Merona trench". I've found, and bid on, this trench in the wrong size more than once. I just have been able to bring myself to buy a too-large coat for more than $35, and the bidding usually heads north of $40 (note to Target: maybe bring this back?). Today I went on and voila! A size small trench with a Buy It Now option at $18. Even with shipping, I scored this for $24, well below what I'd be willing to pay.

I cannot express how excited I am to find this trench. I can finally stop looking after two years! I hate how when I have something in my head I just HAVE to have it. I'm infinitely excited to have this for fall when the weather turns cold and rainy.

Wedding to-dos

I received an invitation to a wedding last week, and it got me thinking about what is and is not appropriate to wear to a wedding.

I work in a place that doubles as a wedding reception facility, so I see lots of wedding guests on a regular basis. Here are some of my pet peeves about female wedding dressing:

Sundresses. They are appropriate for an outdoor afternoon wedding, but don't belong at a formal, indoor wedding. When you've got a bridal party in tuxes and floor-length gowns, there's nothing appropriate about a cotton sundress. I see this all.the.time.

Shoes that don't reflect the dress. If you're wearing a fitted modern dress, why ruin the look with a pair of silver satin shoes you wore to homecoming in 1996? Or 6" hooker heels you can't walk in?

White. You'd think it doesn't need to be said, but it does. I've seen weddings where the mother of the groom was in floor-length white chiffon. There are a billion other colors you can wear. Invest in something non-white.

Office wear. If your skirt, button-down shirt and cardigan scream Pam from The Office, you might want to step it up a notch.

Too much skin. Mini-dresses with lots of boobage and lots of thigh just scream for attention. Everyone who knows you knows you're going home with a random groomsman, but you don't have to advertise that to grandma.

Sale Alert

Do you ever see items on sale and think, "how is that not sold out already?" Well, I do.

Lands' End Canvas is running an additional 20% off sale items if you use the pin 8265. Some of the highlights are:
The boatneck sailor tee
The cashmere striped cardigan
The seersucker jacket
The lightweight mini shorts
The madras mini shorts
The plaid wool skirt (which I own)
The striped t-shirt dress

Also having some great deals today is 6pm.com, who has a number of their North Face jackets on sale. It's worth a look if you're into North Face. It's also worth a look if you a shoe addict, since 6pm is the clearing house for a couple of the major online shoe stores.

Purse Overhaul

I follow some random blogs on Google Reader; blogs found through occasional searches or linked on other blogs. One of them, Love at First Shop, did a post this week about what she keeps in her purse. It has inspired me to clean out my purse.

I really need to upgrade the crap I'm carrying around - last year's calendar, a broken compact, goopy Clinique lip gloss that came as a free gift, and about 8 million receipts. Hopefully once I get it cleaned out and up-graded I can create a blog post about my lovely purse contents like her, with picture. So here is my inspiration: Rosa's bag contents post.

A Review of Goals

I started this blog over a year ago and here were the goals I set down, in a condensed version:

1. Find a job that I love.
2. Get involved in the local arts community.
3. Join a group.
4. Exercise once a week.
5. Create a plan for decorating my house and execute it.
6. Clean up my social life.
7. Foster the friends I have.
8. Keep reading.
9. Stay positive.
10. Blog regularly.

So how did I do?

1. I did, indeed, find a job that I'm totally in love with. Seriously - I'm a party planner, I work independently, I have lots of fun, and I can be social and frenetic without anyone having a problem with it.
2. I failed at getting involved with the arts. My new job involves lots of evenings and weekends, so at this point it would be almost irresponsible to get involved in something that I couldn't commit to.
3. Well, I didn't join a group, but my job has made me a part of a lot of groups. I'm in a group with other people who do my job, I sit as a non-voting member of a local industry group's board, and I work with committees on a daily basis.
4. Ha! FAIL. I'm terrible at exercising. I should set up my home computer to only operate if I've worked out, and then it'd actually happen.
5. To some extent, I have a plan for decorating my house. I just haven't executed it.
6. This has definitely happened. I've managed to let some friendships go into dormancy in order to free myself from the drama they fostered.
7. Fostering friends has been a win, mostly, as well. I now I have friends I truly love that I know will be there for me when I need them.
8. I joined a book club, and while it's kept me reading I still have a stack of unfinished books on my bedside table. I blame it on the Food Network.
9. Nope, not at all. I'm still not positive. I just don't think some people are wired to be happy all the time, and I'm one of them.
10. I feel like I got the blogging regularity mostly right. I'm still here!